We posted the big news here one month ago that Brooks is releasing a new saddle this year.

The Cambium C17‘s top is made of vulcanized natural rubber and a specially treated cotton canvas, and thus represents a rather fresh departure for us.

Guess what’s nestling in that box, obscured by this year’s Brooks Bugle… a Cambium!

We said at the time that 100 saddles would be sent out as test pieces.

The response from Brooks fans worldwide was so enthusiastic, however, that not only did our extremely robust server fold under the weight of applicants; it also caused us to rethink our rather arbitrary sounding number of testers.

What we’re trying to get at is this – we’ve more or less reached a decision on our first hundred testers. Indeed, as you read this, several Brooks Cambiums are already in transit to their lucky new owners. If you’re among the happy group, you’ll most likely have heard from us, or will be hearing from us very soon.

But if you aren’t, haven’t or don’t, fear not!

We’re going through the applications again to find 50 more riders. For 50 more saddles, obviously. Hooray! So there’s still hope…

We’re also still welcoming applications from people who have not yet filled out our Cambium questionnaire. Our tentative plan is to release a couple of other Cambium models somewhere down the line, so even if you haven’t made the cut for our hundred first testers, and you don’t get picked as one of the extra fifty, you could still find yourself road-testing another Cambium in the future.

And remember – should you find yourself never picked by Brooks as a Cambium tester, please try to take solace from the rolling 10% discount in the Brooks online shop that all applicants receive for their time and trouble.

The Brooks Dashing Bicycle Show rolled into Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 20th amidst the splendour of spring to find the capital city’s bicycle culture thriving. Bicycle Space, the show’s host, is at the forefront of the urban cycling boom currently in full swing.

Harry Styles of boyband One Direction poses with Joaquin Phoenix and Matthew Perry.

Voted Best Bike Shop in 2012 by the Washington City Paper Reader’s Poll, and named a top 100 retailer by Bicycle Retailer and Industry news, Bicycle Space was the perfect venue for highlighting the style and quality of the Dashing Show partners.

The social side of the shop was on full display even before the event on Saturday. We had a chance to join the legion of Bicycle Space faithful on their weekly Thursday night Seventh Street Social group ride. Leaving the shop at dusk and led by their custom built cargo bike pulling an impressive sound system.

The Monkey Wagon provides musical accompaniment on Bicycle Space’s Thursday group ride.

Shop manager Jordan Mittelman pilots the 150+ pound rig (known affectionately as the Monkey Wagon after its circus-themed side panels,) usually with the aid of an electric-assist motor. On this particular occasion the motor couldn’t be bothered to assist, but the malfunction didn’t stop Jordan from cruising at the head of the pack, DJ-ing from an onboard iPod, and smiling all the while.

We’re giving our Showpieces away as prizes when the tour ends, you know. Click here for details.

The overall jovial atmosphere of the ride gave us a preview of those who would be in attendance at Saturday’s event. Sure enough there were many familiar faces mixed into the burgeoning crowd outside the doors waiting to get in on Saturday evening.

News of the attendance of special guest Eben Weiss (better known as the Bike Snob NYC) drew an even broader group of cycling addicts to the evening’s festivities. Mr. Weiss is currently promoting the release of his third book, Bike Snob Abroad, and fans of his work had the chance to get their freshly printed copies signed between trips to the Hendrick’s Gin Bar.

Vince Vaughan had a great idea for a new film at Dashing Bike and didn’t want to forget it.

Guests were welcomed into an adjacent theatre space by musical guests the Sligo Creek Stompers. The Washington area stringband delighted the audience with its youthful energy and raucous blend of Appalachian & Midwestern old time and bluegrass, New Orleans traditional, Jazz, honky-tonk and gypsy swing. Perhaps the band traded the traditional bottle of whisky for a few delicious gin cocktails in this particular venue, but the flame of American roots music was certainly burning bright.

The inimitable, unmistakable Sligo Creek Stompers.

The music gave way for an entertaining and hilarious reprieve from The Bike Snob. Armed with a multi-media presentation and his razor wit, Mr. Weiss regaled the audience with his impressions of cycling abroad, particularly focused on the ease and elegance of Europeans traveling by bicycle with their children in tow.

The crux of Bike Snob Abroad focuses on this particular issue and as a relatively new father, The Bike Snob was in fine form addressing the crowd on all matters of towing small humans around with two wheels. As the Q & A wrapped up, the easy, toe-tapping sounds of the Sligo Creek Stompers once again filled the room as the evening wound down.

Over this way! The notoriously publicity shy Christian Bale astutely ducked our lens throughout.

Many thanks from Brooks to all of the Dashing Show partners, the wonderful staff at Bicycle Space (with a special thanks to Jordan Mittelman for his long hours and tireless effort in making it all come together,) The Bike Snob Eben Weiss, and the Sligo Street Stompers for making the evening a success.

“58-13, my young friend. Locked. Cog. Next!”. Spielberg was insufferable by last orders.

The Morgan Motor Company is the last of the old band of independent British car makers still in existence. Famous in the earlier part of the 20th century for their distinctive three-wheelers, Morgan are still based in Malvern in the West Midlands, just down the road from our Smethwick works.

In recent years they have been beneficiaries of the resurgence in popularity of smaller, fuel efficient, lightweight runabouts and currently can’t build their Morgan 3 fast enough to meet demand.

The name is also loved enough by armchair fans for the company to run an entire line of merchandise on the side.

But happily, Charles Morgan managed to make the time recently to sit with Nick Trotman of the excellent Malvern Cycles C.I.C. to discuss possibilities for the commemoration of last year’s British cycling successes at the Olympic Games.

The Morgan Two is the result of these discussions. It pulls together some of the best names in British bicycle engineering and design and puts it all up on top of a pair of slick German tyres.

Gratifyingly yet unsurprisingly, the Morgan Two features our saddles and grips at the all important points of contact, while Sturmey Archer hubs shoulder the Roundness Burden. The crankset that puts it all in motion is Sturmey Archer too.

And Foffa of London have overseen the frame welding.

For Morgan’s part, they have endeavoured to “bring the noise”, as it were. The clacking purr of a classic motor has been recreated to a degree by an intentional ticking effect when you pedal in the higher gear of the two speed rear hub.

Production of this special Limited Edition was capped at 50, and there are about a dozen Morgan Twos still available to buy.

We’re still doing our special deal on a bar tape, toolbag and B17 combo in the online shop.

One of the Dashing Bicycle Show partners currently with us on our tour of North America is Finnland’s Pelago. And while it’s perhaps lazy to draw inferences from broad national stereotypes, it’s none the less tempting to reflect that countless meditative sauna visits and gallons of black coffee must surely have played a leading role in the conception and execution of these sleek, sturdy, understated steel framed bikes.

The Pelago team have made a name for themselves in recent years for, among other things, the responsive geometry of their machines. Their guiding light is “Firmitas. Utilitas. Venustas.”

That’s not Finnish for “Let’s see if we can’t get bought out by one of the Big Guns”, but rather Latin for “Strength. Utility. Beauty.”

They took a road trip earlier this year to the German capital for 2013′s Berliner Fahrradschau, and liked the surroundings so much that they decided to stay a while.

They’re still there, certainly until the end of May at least, on Brunnenstrasse in the central district of Mitte.

The Pelago San Sebastian with a Brooks B17 on top.

If you find yourself in the vicinity, be sure to drop by and marvel at the fine range of bikes and sundries, from their bestselling Stavanger to their selection of Pelago multi-tools. They even have a few packs of their very own brand of Pelago coffee. But just about everything with wheels happily has a Brooks bolted to its seat post.

The Pelago Pop-Up
Brunnenstrasse 156,
Berlin Mitte.
Until the end of May.

Im deutschsprachigen Raum sind Brooks Sättel bekanntlich sehr beliebt. In der Schweiz, in Österreich, in Deutschland selbst und natürlich auch in Ecken von Pennsylvania, scheint es nach unseren Zahlen so zu sein, daß kaum ein anderer Sattelhersteller in jenen Territorien überhaupt versucht, Geschäft zu machen.

Das macht uns natürlich sehr froh.

Wir können nicht genau sagen, ob es rein an unserer sättlerischen Exzellenz liegt, oder an dem guten Geschmack von unseren Kund(inn)en. Wahrscheinlich hat’s aber mit beiden zu tun.

Jedenfalls, haben wir einen neuen Sattel in der sogenannten “Pipeline”. Cambium heißt er, und soll ab Mitte Juni zu kaufen sein. Vielleicht haben Sie schon was darüber gehört?

Bis Juni wollen wir aber 100 Leute aus aller Welt finden, die für uns den Cambium vorher probefahren, und ihre Eindrücke und Erfahrungen dann mitteilen.

Wir haben zur Zeit eine kurze Umfrage auf die Brooks Homepage. Und zwar nicht nur “in English“.

Alle, die gern in unsere engere Auswahl kommen möchten, sind herzlich eingeladen, diese komplett auszufüllen und an uns hinzuschicken.

Sie erfahren spätestens irgendwann im Mai, ob Sie von uns einen Cambium bekommen. Wenn nicht, kriegen Sie sowieso als Trost einen Rabattcode, was ihre sämtlichen Brooks Einkäufe in unserem Online Shop 10% billiger macht.

Also viel Spass, viel Glück und einen schönen Tag noch.

We are sad to report that our John Boultbee Patented Drool-ometer took its final tour of active duty last weekend in the West Country. It sustained irreparable damage, and succumbed to its injuries shortly after Dan Titchmarsh rolled in to Brunel’s Old Station from York on his Titchmarsh Scorpion Cargo Bike.

The Drool-ometer’s fuses quickly blew and its transistors did duly melt, while the needle repeatedly pounded against the housing wall in an apparent attempt to denote a new upper limit for Drool, ultimately snapping completely from its axis.

This is all by way of saying that Dan and his bike were the unsurprising winners in one of several prize categories that Brooks sponsored at this year’s Bespoked Bristol.

Since its first instalment in 2011, Bespoked has quickly become a popular fixture on the European circuit of boutique bicycle shows. With an always thoughtful roster of exhibitors, it allows a handful of the bigger industry names to rub shoulders with a host of markedly less global operations.

Party at the front, business at the back? Or vice versa? Or both?

The emphasis is decidedly on the independent, though, and the show draws crowds who are pathologically keen to talk at length with builders and designers on the finer points of lugging and brazing, geometries and materials, paintjobs and pricing, tax returns… no subject is off limits.

In these respects and others, it bears much resemblance with the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, and as we asserted in a piece for this year’s Brooks Bugle, Bespoked seems well on the way to emulating its Transatlantic counterpart as a Centre of Excellence in all things two-wheeled and human-powered.

We once again took a stand ourselves this time out, and as mentioned, were also involved in the competitive end of things. Brooks was happy to sponsor prizes in several categories at Bespoked this year. The award for Innovation in Product and Design went to the above mentioned Titchmarsh Scorpion.

This is high-end, hand-built haulage, and has understandably been priced as such.

“This was the bike I wanted to build”, the ex-courier tells us of his prototype steel-tubed load hauler. Tipping the scales at a relatively meagre 22kg, and still with ample opportunity to shave off a few pounds before it goes into full production, his Scorpion can be described as the culmination of 12 years of R&D, the final touches having been applied mere hours before the doors opened in Bristol last weekend.

The Scorpion differs from most other two-wheeled cargo bikes in its use of a cable-operated hub centre steering system, as opposed to the standard solution of operating the fork with a single-sided steering shaft running the entire length of the loading area’s underside. Still with us? For readers who wish to go deeper, Dan explains in some detail on his website the rationale and execution of this move.

One place where he fortunately refused to deviate from tradition, however, is up on top of the seatpost. He took a Titanium Team Pro to finish things off, as will hopefully his drooling line of customers, who are already waiting for him to complete an initial short-run batch of production models.

Here and elsewhere, Brooks has frequently celebrated the Cargo Bike’s resurgence outside of its traditional Scandinavian strongholds, so we hereby extend our warmest congratulations again to Dan on a fine job of work, and on being the recipient of our Brooks Innovation Award at Bespoked 2013.

Thanks to Gold Seal Photography for the pictures.

Sustenance and Saddle Sense – Why a Brooks is like a well balanced meal.
By Tuula Rebhahn

Every Brooks saddle owner has had this experience. You pull up in front of the store, school or work and some non-cyclist approaches you to gawk at your saddle. It’s sleek, they say, but where’s the padding? You couldn’t pay me to sit on that thing!

On our tour through the southern United States, my partner Hannah and I have these interactions frequently. But the odd looks we receive outside the grocery store are nothing compared to those we receive inside. Passing on the fried chicken, ramen noodles and “sports” drinks, we stock up on eggs, prunes and salad greens, then refuse the plastic bag at the checkout line. We know we’re marking ourselves as weirdos – but hey, we already did that when we walked in with spandex and metal in our shoes.

Since we left the progressive west coast and began heading across the southwestern deserts, we’ve stuck out like sore thumbs, but that’s okay. Seeking out pockets of the local food movement across the “Belly of America”, we’ve also found a new definition for the term “eating sustainably”. It’s how we keep ourselves moving forward day after day, to complete our goal of riding 6,000 miles in six months.

Food is fuel, and when you put water in your gas tank, you know you’re not going to get very far. Like investing in a good saddle, taking the time to eat well while cycle touring – or while at home – pays off in allowing you to ride farther and feel great while doing it.

There are no hard and fast rules and guidelines for a healthful cycling diet, except for this: Pay attention to what your body is telling you.

On a recent day riding along the gulf of Florida, an older fellow pulled in front of us and stopped a good car length short of a stop sign. I managed to hit the brakes and unclip, but Hannah forgot her feet were attached to her pedals and made a perfect slow-motion arc to the concrete.

After dusting her off and finding no broken bones, it didn’t take us long to discover the root of the problem: An empty-calorie fast food breakfast at a waffle joint colloquially known as the Awful House. Our stomachs lined with indigestible goo, we’d skipped lunch and had been running on empty, which severely hampers one’s decision-making abilities. Nearly four months into the trip, you’d think we’d have learned this lesson by now. But hunger can make you do stupid things – like fall for the endless billboard marketing of a cheap and filling breakfast chain.

Usually, Hannah and I hit up farmers markets or roadside produce stands and plan our meals from there, dipping into our pannier full of quick-cooking lentils and high-protein grains like quinoa and amaranth. Protein is key. Since we try to avoid factory farmed meats, we top our salads with walnuts or sunflower seeds – which are also good for loading up oatmeal in the morning.

Eating this way takes a little bit more planning and work, but it’s time well spent. You invest time and money in your saddle, and you wouldn’t use anything but Proofide to keep it soft and supple. So why do so many cyclists dump cheap carbs and sketchy protein into their fuel tanks?

Cheap, sketchy, delicious. Tuula and Hannah treat us to a Masterclass in Human Frailty

Hannah and I are not puritans by any means, and it’s not that every bite of junk food sets us back. In fact, we’re also surprised by how forgiving our bodies are. Maybe it’s because we’re young or because we’re burning so many calories that we can sneak in a few “empty” ones and not get dinged for it. But every donut, cookie and pint of ice cream is a gamble. An hour later, we may feel fine, or we may be crawling along at seven miles an hour wondering why we can’t seem to kick it into gear.

Carrot sticks don’t have the appeal of a cream pie, and a cushy gel saddle certainly might feel nice at the beginning of the day. Will it be there to support you after seventy or eighty miles? Not like a Brooks, and not like a good meal. Let them call us crazy; we’re unconventional and proud.

Tuula Rebhahn and Hannah Cooper are touring across the United States to explore and expand the local, sustainable food movement. Their blog is here.

Readers of the 2013 Brooks Bugle will have had an informational head start on everybody else regarding the imminent release of a new addition to our range of fine bicycle saddles.

The current copy contains an article on our latest model, the Cambium C17. It’s a saddle that represents a fairly unusual departure for us in that its top is not made of leather (cue sharp intake of breath). Rather, it is made from natural rubber and organic cotton, and enhanced by a thin layer of structural textile for added resilience.

It is immediately comfortable and maintenance-free, which might possibly put a dent in our Proofide sales. Even without Proofide, it still offers the longevity for which our products are legendary.

Come on, bit more. I’ll see your two rivets and raise you a bag loop

But a rather interesting piece of extra news began doing the rounds yesterday, which we are happy to officially confirm for our readers today.

Between now and its release date, we are undertaking a worldwide search for 100 lucky people to road test the Brooks Cambium. The group as a whole will naturally consist of cyclists of both sexes, and encompass a full range of cycling activity and body types.

Part of A Return Of The Jedi Speeder Bike? Not quite. All will be revealed…

From the fair-weather, six stone bicycle commuter to the 300 pound daily Centurion, we hope to find our Cambium test pieces bolted to 100 very distinct seatposts.

Those chosen will report back to us with their impressions and experiences, and we’ll publish them in a special section of the Brooks website. Of course, our testers will all get to keep their Cambia in gratitude for their efforts, but would be strongly advised in advance to read our post on saddle theft prevention.

And those who apply unsuccessfully to test our Cambium will have the consolation of receiving a special discount code for our online shop. It will give you 10% off all Brooks purchases you make over the coming twelve months.

At any rate, several notable cycling websites publicized this news yesterday evening, along with a link to the Cambium Tester registration form. If you were one of the applicants who experienced the inconvenience of our server crashing under the weight of subscriptions, please accept our apologies. We are reliably informed that it’s “back up” again.

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has been firing back lots of good pictures from the Red Planet lately.

As we say, we are looking for a diverse pool of riders, not the first hundred who apply, so those who were unable to send their form to us yesterday are at no disadvantage in regard to the decision making process.

That said, we hope to ship out the 100 test pieces as soon as we can, around mid-May. So don’t dally, fill out our questionnaire and cross your fingers.

Friends across the Pond of the World’s Finest Cycling Saddles are abuzz with anticipation. And as Saturday approaches, our colleagues are putting the final transformational touches to Washington’s Bicycle Space as the Dashing Bicycle Show readies itself for a fortnight-long stay in the American capital.

On display with our superb selection of saddles, bags and other Brooks cycling sundries, we will also be showing some beautifully built-up machines from Pelago, Tout Terrain, B_ant and Cooper. There are no prizes for guessing the provenance of their perches.

There are, however, prizes for something else. Send us a photo of yourself looking sharp with your be-Brooksed bike, and as winner of the Dashing Bike Photo Contest, we’ll send you one of the aforementioned bicycles as soon as we’re finished with it, which should be some time late in August.

Along with these future prizes, some choice samples from the PEdALED range of cycling-inspired clothes round things out at Dashing Bike, and in case of a power cut, Bookman, the Swedish bicycle light manufacturer will also be on hand to provide any needed illumination.

Looking at and talking about bicycle equipment is famously thirsty work, of course, so visitors can take advance solace from the knowledge that at this very moment, a couple of barrels of Hendrick’s Gin are being rolled through the shop’s doors.

You won’t have to drink it neat, though. Tonic and punch mixers have been sorted, and we’re assured that Brooks representative Stateside, Michael Firn, has sourced some truly excellent cucumbers.

For Opening Night on the 20th of April, we’re also in the happy position of being able to remind you that none other than Eben Weiss of BikeSnobNYC fame will be there to say a few words, and sign copies of his latest book, Bike Snob Abroad.

Mr. Weiss has visited us at the Brooks Works in Smethwick before, and we can vouch personally for his ability to rhapsodize hilariously on the subject of the Two-Wheeled and Human-Powered. So even if you’re not already sozzled from your twelve pints of Gimlet, good vibrations are guaranteed.

All in all, there’s really no excuse for anybody who finds themselves in the general area this weekend not to make the trip to Bicycle Space, a shop that is counted among our finest Dealers Of Excellence, and widely regarded as one of the best bike shops in the City of Magnificent Intentions.

We’re overjoyed to have found in Jordan, David and the rest of the Bicycle Space team such willing and ingenious partners for the show and look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible this coming Saturday.

Toodle Pip!

As a matter of policy, at Brooks we set aside time and money each year in our dedication as enthusiastic and hands-on sponsor of a large number of cycling- and cycling-related events.

Here at the blog recently, we’ve touched on the details of a couple of the celebrations of the two-wheeled and human-powered that we plan to be involved with in 2013. Funding, prizes and publicity tend to be things that organizers need in advance of an event, and we gladly give all three when possible.

When the talking is over and the hammer goes down, however, it’s also often the case that someone from Brooks finds themselves happily manning a race checkpoint, for example, or announcing the Free Bar as officially open.

The Vélo Vintage has prizes for well turned out Monsieurs and Madameoiselles.

In the past, we have helped out where we can with events as diverse as the Bicycle Film Festival, the Intelligence Squared debate series and the inaugural Belgian Single Speed Championships, to name just a few.

We look today at some of the places you can find us in the coming months, in some cases as return visitors and in others as first-timers.

For Throwbacks who prefer their vin rouge to their vino rosso, it can only be the Anjou Vélo Vintage. The smaller cousin of Gaiole’s l’Eroica is on again this year in the west of France with a choice of three riding distances and beaucoup de surprises magnifiques. So get your retro maillot on and point that front wheel in the direction of the Loire Valley.

Pointy, mucky, cobbly, slippery, icy mayhem probably not in store for Retro Ronde riders.

The Retro Ronde is on at the end of May, and we’re as excited about our involvement in this homage to the cult of the Flemish Hard Man as anything else we have in our spring calendar. Its dates this year have been set to coincide with the centenary instalment of the Tour of Flanders. So in that spirit, it will hopefully be very cold and wet for our Retro Ronders, and there’ll be lots of muddy pile-ups on the Koppenberg. In consolation, there’s as always a prize for the most fittingly attired racer.

Swiss winners have been the rule rather than the exception at European and World cycle courier championships over the past decade. So it’s probably fitting that Lausanne is the 2013 host of CMWC. The city whose rather, um, hilly streets have produced serial winners like Dominique Metz, Raphael Faiss, Raphaël Pfeiffer and Joséphine Reitzel is rumoured to be pulling out all the stops for a very special championships on the last weekend in July. We’re happily on board, and will also be doing something special to commemorate it. Watch this space.

Last year’s WCR Grand Tour champion Mike Hall is coordinating the Transcontinental this summer. An unsupported competitive ride between London and Istanbul will see racers tough it out in the Alps en route to Turkey under a doubtless blazing August sun. We disclosed the details of our likely involvement earlier in the year, and are happy to report that around 40 racers are already confirmed, among them Juliana Buhring, who as a WCR rider last year set the Guinness record for circumnavigation by a female.

Fancy the trip? Transcontinental racers ride London to Istanbul this August.

Rumours are also emanating from the Mill that said WCR Grand Tour will once again also happen in 2013. Our scale of involvement in 2012 went from releasing a Limited Edition commemorative saddle, to providing rolling race news reportage on the blog, to locating nearby beds and bike shops for riders. When they roll over the start line, we’ll be there to let you know how things progress.

The IG Markets Nocturne has continually proven itself to be a fantastic evening out for fans of all sorts of cycling disciplines. Under its auspices, Smithfield Market in London will again be the location for our Brooks Penny Farthing Race. As a spectacle our event is unchallenged, with High Wheelers tearing around the fast and tight Smithfield track, typically against the fine backdrop of a red sun setting slowly over the English capital.

The Brompton World Championships have taken place at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire over the past few years, but in 2013 the event moves to become part of the Orbital Cycling Festival at Goodwood Race Track in July. The ability to “Brompt Promptly” will once be at a premium.

Available spots for the chance to ride l’Eroica have, as per usual, long since filled up. The event in Tuscany has rapidly become a global phenomenon over the past couple of years. And Team Brooks is proud to have been there or thereabouts since the event’s inception.
This time out, we’re delighted to be able already to count such luminaries from the world of cycling journalism as Maurice Tierney (USA – Bicycle Times/ Dirt Rag Chief Editor), Bill Strickland (USA – Bicycling Chief Editor) and Simon Smythe (UK – Cycling Weekly Editor) on our provisional team sheet.

Retro Ronde – May 25-26
Anjou Vélo Vintage – June 19-23
London Nocturne – June 8
Brompton Worlds July 27-28
CMWC Lausanne – July 29-Aug 4
The Transcontinental – August 2
L’Eroica – October 6